Tickets are on sale for the March 5 fundraising event, which takes place at 6 p.m. in the university’s Student Services Center.

“We are elated to be able to bring such a wonderful, well-known group of celebrities to be among our guests,” said Veronique Diriker, director of development and event coordinator.

Burton, 53, is an actor, director, producer and author whose career has spanned some 30 years. He portrayed KuntaKinte in the 1977 award-winning television miniseries “Roots,” based on the novel by Alex Haley. Burton is also known for his role as Geordi La Forge on the television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” He won 13 Emmy Awards and five NAACP awards as host of “Reading Rainbow,” one of PBS’ longest running children’s series.

His latest efforts are behind the camera. “The Tiger Woods Story,” the first dramatic television movie he directed, landed Burton three Emmy nominations and his Disney Channel film, “Smart House,” is one of the channel’s most popular original movies.

David Alan Grier, 54, began his career in drama. He worked alongside Denzel Washington in the Academy Award nominated dramatic film, “A Soldier’s Story.” He is best known for his many characters in the Emmy Award-winning TV comedy series “In Living Color.” In comedic roles, he also appeared on film in “Boomerang,” “Blankman,” “In the Army Now” and “Jumanji.” He is also a successful stand-up comedian and hosted the Comedy Central series “Premium Blend.”

On stage, Grier was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award for ‘The First.” In the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls,” Grier portrayed James “Thunder” Early. More recently, he returned to Broadway for the musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “Race” for which he won his second Tony Award.

Daly, an outspoken feminist on and off the screen, is best known for portraying the gutsy detective, Mary Beth Lacy, in the TV series “Cagney and Lacey.” She and her co-star Sharon Gless won the Emmy Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama six consecutive years — a record unmatched in any major category by a television show. Daly, 64, also won an Emmy for the American drama TV series “Christy,” which was based on the novel by Catherine Marshall. From 1999-2005, she played the character Maxine Gray, the social-worker mother of the show’s title character, on “Judging Amy.”

Daly's Broadway career began with “That Summer, That Fall” in 1967. Daly won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for “Gypsy.” She has appeared in many other successful stage plays.

Pam Grier, 61, is celebrating four decades as an entertainer on the big and small screens. She is one of the few African-American actresses to receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress -- for the crime film “Jackie Brown.” On film, she played character roles in “Fort Apache the Bronx,” “Something Wicked this Way Comes,” and “Above the Law.”

On television, she recently has had a recurring role on the hit science fiction series “Smallville.” She also has guest-starred in the popular NBC crime drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Her many TV credits include appearances in “Miami Vice,” “Martin,” “Night Court,” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”

“We’re just so fortunate that these very busy people are willing to give of their time and help the university with such an important cause – raising money to help students afford a college education,” Diriker said.

For more information or to purchase a ticket, reach Veronique Diriker by e-mail or call her at 410-651-8142 to reserve a ticket. Only 450 will be available.